Alaska's Skilak Lake Area | Hiking, Camping, & Natural History Guide [S1-E27]

[Music] there is a corner of the Last Frontier  that will catch you by surprise a gem hidden in   plain sight in the heart of the Kenai Peninsula  coming here was our Hail Mary our last ditch   attempt to find a land Ablaze in Autumn color  and here we strike gold come along and let   us introduce you to the skiak Lake Region an  area that has captured our hearts and should   absolutely be on your bucket list we will show  you two incredible hikes that end in sweeping   panoramas as well as three campgrounds with views  that will leave you Spellbound dive in as we learn   about the volcanoes raining in the distance and  what on Earth happened here and finally prepare   to be blown away by one of the most striking  natural spectacles we have witnessed in 4 years   on the road by pure luck we are at the right place  at the right time and now you get to witness it as   well come join us for our final fall Adventure  along the tucked away path of skiak Lake [Music] Road here we are on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula  and here is the skiak wildlife Recreation   Area skiak Lake Road breaks off from the  Sterling highway to etch its way through   the area and oh the treasures that dot  this route we begin at Hidden Lake [Music] Campground for RV Travelers it doesn't get much  better than this your tiny home parked in that   perfect spot doors open to a beautiful  day and an even more beautiful season Hidden Lake Campground has 44 spots all  non-electric 24 of which are reservable   online the rest are first come first  serve to give you a sense of how busy   it can get here in the summertime  there is even an overflow parking   lot for self-contained RVs right now it's  just us and a few other RVs on the upper Loop water is available though you have  to put in a little elbow grease to get it   hand pumps are stationed throughout the  facility there are toilets throughout   the campground though we would argue that  our bathroom boasts the best views of the mall day Pavilion sit alongside the water's edge   ready for barbecues and birthday  parties and a boat ramp provides   access to the lake where Anglers can try  their hand at catching trout Dolly V and salmon Hidden Lake is one of many smaller  lakes and ponds that scatter across the   slopes surrounding the mother of this region skiak Lake you've got to understand Autumn  days like this are a fleeting gift   who knows how long the leaves will  hold on and how long we'll have sunny   days like this so we are going to take  advantage and soak it all up while we can so we're going to head out to be Mountain  Trail we hear it's really strenuous but really   short and really beautiful at the top so we're  going to leave our Bobby bus here at Hidden Lake   and check out this hike see how it looks up there  especially with these amazing fall colors [Music] the bare Mountain trail head is about a 10-minute  3M drive from Hidden Lake Campground after such a   rainy summer and fall in South Central Alaska we  are just delighted by these Blue Sky days [Music] [Music] [Music] so we're here at the trail head the drive  over here was amazingly beautiful the colors   are just bursting right now we feel so lucky  that we caught this because it has been rain   rain rain rain rain so to get a couple  of sunlight with these colors is super   special Super Lucky so now we're going to give  this Trail a whirl see what we're in for right   across from the trail head sits Rock Lake a  little vignette of natural beauty in its own right so we got a great description of the  trail right here says be Mountain Trail is   short and gains elevation quickly the trail  passes through Spruce Forest at its beginning   but soon opens up to scattered alter patches  the trail ends at a rocky outcropping that's   good that it gains elevation that quickly  that means we'll get some good exercise cuz   it is cold and there's nothing like a good  trail to get your blood pumping and warm you up bare Mountain Trail is 1.6 M  long there and back with 518 ft   of elevation gain it ends at a  lookout that we here is pretty spectacular if this little Glimpse is any  indication we are indeed in for a treat at the [Music] top so we just came around a curve in the  path looked out to our left and oh my gosh   volcano action across the Cook Inlet so Jose  is ready in action with telephoto so we can   get a really nice clip of what we are seeing  so that you can see it as well sometimes nature   cooperates to let you get that perfect shot  and sometimes you need a little help from your friends hello Mount readout you know that a  natural feature is impressive when it makes the   lofty Peaks around it look like Foothills redout  is a strat volcano alive and active in episode   26 we learned about the geology of this region and  we speculated that there must be volcanoes lurking   somewhere in the distance on the other side of the  cook inet Basin and sure enough redout commands   the sky soaring right from sea level to 10,000 197  ft but the question is does it stand alone [Music] [Music] [Music] W beautiful view check this out and we're not even at the top yet so the trail description didn't lie we're  not even to the top and all already the views are sweeping skiak Lake reaches out across  the base of every Vista in almost every   direction we can't wait to stay at the  campgrounds right along its [Music] Edge and well hello there again this  is Ilana yet another Strat volcano   gracing The Horizon if we have already  seen two volcanoes in one short Jaun   up the mountain side that must mean that  there is a wider story going on here to be [Music] continued okay so now we're almost at the  top and they weren't lying it is a pretty steep   trail that does doesn't really give you much  time to to rest but the views make it worth it incredible think we're near the [Music] top oh wow they weren't lying as these photographs show  the views from the top of bare Mountain are [Music] incredible from here we can see all of  skiak Lake from its birthplace near the range to   its end far out in the Kenai lowlands [Music] we  can see where the braided skiak river flows into   skiak Lake if we could follow that River back just  a little ways into the range we would find the tow   of skiak Glacier itself fed by the vast Harding  ice field who lurks just beyond those [Music] mountains it's a lot to  take in but soak it up we do seeing this view of skiak lake stretched out  before us makes us all the more anxious and   excited about our next stop a campground  tucked along its edge with that view of   readout dominating The Horizon if only we  knew what surprise tonight has in store for us [Music] today we venture farther down skiak Lake Road  today is all about the journey not the destination   because honestly right now this road is our  [Music] destination this two-lane Gravel Road   once formed part of the early Sterling highway now  its sole purpose is to provide access to the skiak   wildlife Recreation Area a region abounding in  biodiversity forest habitat dominates this region   accounting for 95% of the area's vegetative cover  Spruce Aspen Birch and Cottonwood mix and weave   to form a marbled blanket across the land shrubs  sedges and reed grasses appear along streams Lake   edges and Meadows these forests are home to black  and brown bears moose lynx and red fox to name a   few this area is part of the wider keenai National  Wildlife Refuge which hosts 150 species of birds   accounting for 32% of all identified bird species  in Alaska 76 of them have been recorded right   here in the skiak area we begin to see why this  region was named skiak Wildlife Recreation Area [Music]   as we near our destination we come  across a striking change what happened here the drive from Hidden Lake to our destination  is about 7.5 mil and every inch of it is framed in   Vivid color it is the first week of October and  boy was that the right time to come here [Music] [Music] we are now tucked right along the edge of  skiak Lake two campgrounds were developed   along the water's edge this is upper  skiak Campground just like Hidden Lake   the campground is bathed in Beauty and nearly  empty upper skiak is first come first serve   with 26 sights all non- electric and plenty of  space for big rigs like ours our Bobby bus is   35 ft long by the way but the campground  can accommodate systems up to 60 ft there   are fire pits toilets hand water pumps and  of course a boat launch we just arrived at   our camp spot and I was expecting Beauty but  I was not expecting this check this out check   how close we are to the water and check out  what we can see see on the other side of the water wow you have got to be joking hello low again Mount rout as the crow  flies rout is about 822 Mi away even from such   a distance it dominates The Horizon readout  has erupted four times in the last 120 years   the most recent being in 2009 its 1989 eruption  sent a plume of Ash 45,000 ft into the air which   then settled to blanket an area over 7,000  square miles read out does not stand alone   in fact the family this volcano belongs to is  far greater than you might imagine in episode   26 we learned how volcanoes often result when one  tectonic plate slides under another seawater in   the subducting plate lowers the melting point of  overlying rock producing magma and then volcanoes   Alaska is home to a whole Arc of volcanoes that  punch through the Earth where the Pacific Plate   subducts beneath the North American Plate read  out and ilna are both part of that Ark but it   doesn't stop there the Pacific Ring of Fire is  a trend of volcanoes and seismic activity that   Circle the Pacific Ocean caused by a series of  plate boundaries just like the one at Alaska's   doorstep our journey from Alaska to Argentina  will brush up against the ring of fire many   times bringing us face to face with many brothers  and sisters of redout who by the way is about to   combine forces with the sky to put on one  of the most Vivid sunsets we have ever seen [Music] [Music]   We Now call the shores of skiak Lake home at  least for a little while of all the natural   features of the keenai peninsula a few stand out  even visible from space skiak is one of them the   mighty keenai river flows into the lake before  continuing its way to the Cook Inlet the lake is   also Al fed by skiak glacier which is one of the  most prominent glaciers fed by the Harding [Music] icefield this section of land jutting into ski  life lake has an interesting story to tell one   that ties into the subject of plant succession all  the trees here are less than 30 years old and for   a very particular reason in 1996 the Hidden Creek  fire burned this entire section of land just east   of the campground encompassing 5,161 Acres  since then the land has been reestablishing   its vegetative cover one plant Community after  the next we are actually about to hike right   into the heart of the burn area and we wonder  after 27 years will we still see any signs of   the fire what will it look like to hike through  an ecosystem in the process of rebuilding itself Vista Trail starts right at upper  skiet Campground not 100 yard from   our campsite actually the trail is  3.5 M there and back with a 1 , 279   FT elevation gain in essence  there will be a whole lot of up we start seeing these bright red berries  that look delicious but we don't want to end   up a statistic today so we won't be  trying them unless you are 100% sure   that something is edible it's best to steer  clear we are very curious about them [Music] though it's interesting to see the mixture of  grasses shrubs and sparse Groves of young trees   up here we wonder before the fire came  through did a mature Forest stand here   that's a very different type of habitat so what  species lived here then that no longer do now   and vice versa what species couldn't live here  before the fire and now have a chance to thrive [Music] we now enter slightly thicker forest and come  across something unexpected these trees are   obviously burned but they can't be from the  1996 fire can they surely after 27 years trees   killed in that fire would have decomposed long ago  right this is a mystery we will have to come back [Music] to this Trail is a long SLO but it lives  up to its name we aren't even at the top   yet and the views are incredible  we started late and the light is   changing but that brings a magic of its own  as alpen glow begins to paint the [Music] mountains we're in the final push now in  what is definitely the steepest part of   the trail a pair of trekking poles  is your friend in spots like this   of course we didn't bring ours  today but slow and steady does [Music] it that was the last hurdle  before coming out on top and seeing   what awaits us at the end of Vista Trail [Music] [Music] [Music] well we could happily spend all of  our time parked at that incredible   site on upper skiak but curiosity  calls us on and we have more to [Music] explore we are headed to the second  campground on the lake a 20-minute driveway   our route leads back onto skiak Lake Road which  is still holding fast to its colors although   we are not 5 minutes down the road when  we begin to see something striking an   almost apocalyptic scene stretching as far  as we can see we know we just have to pull   over because here is where a couple  lingering questions will finally be answered in 2019 lightning sparked the Swan  Lake Forest Fire it burned for 146 days and   in the end swept across 160 7,000 Acres one  edge of it crept into the forest east of the   upper Campground and that may be what we saw  there wildfires are a natural occurrence and   in many ecosystems they play a vital role in  maintaining Forest Health they clear out dead   vegetation promote nutrient Recycling and even  help some species germinate the tricky thing is   when fires occur too frequently or burn so out of  control that they threaten lives and property it   is a delicate task understanding the role fire  plays in nature and also understanding how our   activities can tip the balance the stretch of  road between the upper and lower campgrounds   tells this story of fire you see its effects all  around and also how the land recovers in stages   before we know it we are here at lower skiak  Campground this one feels more open a little l   tree cover and a little more sky which our  solar panels certainly appreciate just like   the upper Campground many campsites  here tuck right up against the water's   edge which in the life of an rver is  something that really cannot be beat [Music] lower skiak Campground is small nestled along a  little Al Cove it has 14 non-electric campsites   water toilets and a boat launch and  it's free the sky and views from from   here are expansive in fact we'll just  let you take it in and soak up this [Music] view now we never imagined lightning would  strike twice and that we would be blessed   with another unbelievable Sunset but  apparently here at skiak Lake heart   stopping sunsets are a regular occurrence [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]   our time in the skiak area is almost  up every night the cold grows deeper   and deeper we feel we are right  at the edge of a precipice the   moment Autumn shifts to Winter we  can't see it yet but we can feel it [Music] before we leave the area we decide to return to  the very beginning to Hidden Lake where our whole   skac Adventure started [Music] the only thing  that could make this adventure even better is   sharing it with a good friend last winter in  Seward we took a ski lesson with the Nordic   ski club that was the day that we met Mark and  since then we have become dear friends [Music] as we enjoy a chilly Autumn evening together none   of us are expecting what is about to  happen in the we hours of the morning we cannot believe it but we are here to witness  the very first snow a light dusting blankets the   bus in the campground bidding us welcome to  the new season but what is more spectacular   than anything is the contrast of the fresh snow  against the still blazing colors of Autumn this   is one of the most unique natural spectacles we  have witnessed in 4 years on the road [Music] [Music] maybe it's the feeling of knowing that winter  is here but we also feel inspired to make one   last effort to fill our coffers we try our  hand at fishing Lakeside though we don't   have the right gear or a boat the boat is key  we see many locals going out into the lake no   doubt to the spots where the fishing is good  regardless it's a nice little moment to spend   together here at the end of our Alaskan Autumn  it doesn't last long with each passing hour the   snow melts away leaving behind just a deep chill  in the air winter is here we can feel it and it   seems the forest and all her Critters can feel  it too a little neighbor arrives at our campsite   in its own little matte Dash to finish filling  the coffers before the days when the snow will   not melt away but instead we'll pile deeper  and deeper and the forest will slip into a slumber while we are unlucky in filling our  coffers with more fish we did just learn   something that answered one of our lingering  questions from our time here in the skiak area so our friend Mark told us that the berries  we were seeing the other day on Vista Trail are   actually High Bush cranberries that make an  excellent Jam that he's going to show us how   to make so we're going to Forge a little bit  here but we have to be careful because there   are bears that are eating these berries as  well we just saw them and they actually came   into our campsite last night so we got all  our bear stuff ready to go and we're going   to go pick a couple berries so this warning  is saying that on August 26th a sa and her   two Cubs charged hikers on the cliffs nearby  and that might be that same Sal and cubs that   we've been seeing hanging around around  so yeah you got to be really careful and   Bear Aware when you come to spots like this  especially at this time of year when they're   really trying to fatten up before going to  sleep for a [Music] while oh yeah there Sal   sorry we need a gallon at least of this to make  some Jam so it's going to take a while [Music] [Music]   so this is as much as we got here at Hidden  Creek Trail it's kind of thin here and we saw   that Mama Bear not too far so we're going to go  back to Vista Trail where we saw a ton of them   like yesterday the day before and keep going  sure enough not too far down the road we see   Mama and her Cubs chowing down on high Bush  cranberries we are happy we're moving on not   just for safety but it's important to give them  their space at this important time besides the   picking is great on Vista Trail we hit the jackpot  you're on Vista Trail we found the jackpot there   are so many berries here check this out already  so much more than the other Trail so here we go   the berries are much more prolific here and we  wonder if it has to do with the Hidden Creek   fire this area has not yet had time to  develop mature forests again instead   we walk among thickets of shrubs and barely  burgeoning growes of deciduous trees perhaps   all that extra Sunshine is just with the  Cranberries need to [Music] thrive we stay   alert and be aware by by the way you may have  noticed that we always wear a bear Bell on our   hikes a bear Bell is an absolute must when  hiking in Alaska Bears don't pray on people   in fact we scare them more than they scare us  but a surprised bear can feel threatened so the   Bell alerts them to your presence giving them  a chance to avoid you and thus helps prevent encounters we made out like Bandits  got two gallons with this we should   be able to make a good a bit of [Music] jyos oh wow the water with the arrival of the first snow  the message has come through loud and   clear winter is here and it's time for us  to go we pack up our little home and hit   the road once more but to [Music] where  the perfect summer is over in a Flash   and you're on your way my mind says  yes you've been here for quite some time but my heart tells me you should stay a well by now dear friends it is clear to  you that Alaska has captured our hearts   in a way we never saw coming and so we have  decided we're just not ready to leave quite   yet we have one more round in us and  so we are staying for another Alaskan winter with every inch of this drive we Edge our  way closer to the place that has been home here   in the Last Frontier the town that took us in once  and With Arms Wide Open is welcoming Us in again   some folks in our world think this is a sign that  we will never leave Alaska that in a poetic twist   the start of the journey became the end is that  so and what new adventures does this winter in   particular have in store well you'll just have  to wait until next time on Art we thereare you   M are we at the end or are we at the start room  number 29 weat per from my heart anywhere we go is   where I love to roll night of day I'm taking you  all the way cuz my heart screams let me carry you home bright lights and colors love is for  the ones who did to way no you in running   when all I really want is to make you stay my  mind says yes you've been here for quite some time but my heart tells me you should stay  a little while M are we at the end or are we   at the start room under 29 beats per minute  from anywhere we go is where I long to roll   night or day I'm taking you all the way cuz  my heart screams let me carry you home [Music]   hey guys if you enjoy this video be  sure to give us a like subscribe to   our Channel send us a comment below and  for exclusive content and a behind the   scenes view of the art lead area Journey  join us on Patron see you over on patreon

Channel: Art We There Yet?

Views: 7,323

Keywords: art we there yet, skilak lake road, skilak lake, skilak lake alaska, kenai peninsula alaska, alaska hikes, alaska travel vlog, what to do on the kenai peninsula, sterling alaska, rving alaska, van life alaska, kenai national wildlife refuge, alaska wildlife refuges, kenai wildlife refuge, alaska wildlife refuge, kenai, alaska, travel vlog, alaska vlog, travel couple, fall colors, alaska fall colors, fall colors alaska, alaska travel, alaska fall, fall colors in alaska

Id: ZQirlciANX4

Length: 40min 22sec (2422 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 21 2024